Box Score
(San Francisco) - Despite a furious comeback and another strong rebounding performance, the USF women's basketball team dropped a tightly fought 55-50 decision to Cal State Fullerton at War Memorial Gym in San Francisco. The Dons posted 50-plus rebounds for the second straight contest, including three members of the Green and Gold with 10 or more boards.
The two teams played close in the first half, posting nearly identical numbers. The Dons (2-11) shot 24.1 percent from the field, while the Titans (5-5) tallied a 23.1 shooting percentage. Both teams pulled down 23 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of play.
The largest lead of the half was held by USF, who went up by four, 6-2 at 17:54. The largest advantage of the stanza for Fullerton was a three-point, 20-17, edge at halftime.
In the second half, CSU Fullerton jumped out to a nine point lead at 11:28, but a 7-0 run over the next three minutes, brought the Dons within two, 36-34. The Titans responded strongly, extending their lead to six, before Rheina Ale drilled a three to pull the Dons back within one possession.
The Dons continued to chase the Titans before a three from Ale finally tied the game 45-45 at 2:44. After a small Fullerton run, San Francisco pulled back within a possession with 26.2 seconds remaining, thanks to a put back lay-up from Taj Winston.
The Titans hit two free throws and a jumper down the stretch to secure the victory. USF furiously fired off shots at the end contest but were unable to overcome the 55-50 deficit.
Ale led USF with 12 points. During the game, the senior from Carson moved into 16th place in the all-time San Francisco scoring ranks with 1,092 points. She is now 22 points shy of the top-15. Former Don Lindsey Huff (1997-02) ranks 15th all-time with 1,114 points. Tuesday, Ale passed Sarah Wanless (1995-00), who was 16th with 1,086 points.
Defensively, USF was paced by 11 rebounds from both Bailey Barbour and Taj Winston. Both Barbour and Winston had four offensive rebounds and 11 total rebounds apiece. Katy Keating added 10 boards with five points.
Megan Richardson led Fullerton with 21 points, while Lauren Bushong narrowly missed out on a double-double with nine points and 14 boards.
San Francisco will take a break for the Holidays before opening West Coast Conference play. USF will host Pepperdine in the league opener on Thursday, December 29 at 7 p.m. at War Memorial Gym.
